Best plants to grow or have on hand?

[JulieStudent]

I’m just beginning and there is so much to learn.  Right now I have yarrow, mullein, comfrey and garlic that have grown pretty well for me(learning to garden too….lol)  It looks like the borage may do well…but I need to try other places for the calendula and nasturtium. I’m sure I will find more kinds of plants that would be good to grow to have a more rounded garden.  Learning how to prepare and use them, will be of importance.  What plants do you consider, “must haves”?

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rosey.goodman@1791.com, Lynn Lynam, Lora Dietmeyer, Joanne Fletcher

[Greg BoggsStudent]

My #1 must have is my calendula, I have found so many great uses for it that I am going to make sure I get a bountiful harvest every year from it

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Linda Farber, Joanne Fletcher

[Rebecca LivermoreStudent]

Greg, I’d love to hear all the ways you use calendula. I have very limited growing space, so have to be selective. I already have calendula seeds and am trying to decide what other seeds to purchase.

[Greg BoggsStudent]

Well it’s great topically because it is antibiotic and a vulnerary, so if you get a cut it will kill the bad stuff and heal the wound faster. It’s also got some good anti inflammatory properties as well. One weird thing, and I haven’t read this in any other herb books, but it has really helped me out with some really bad headaches I’ve gotten in the past. No idea why, but I was pretty happy when I found that out. It’s also just a really pretty flower! Doc did a video on Calendula that you can find here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sHiLyMw-Fo&ab_channel=HomeGrownHerbalist

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Herb Thyme, Kelly Clemmer, Laura Taylor, Rebecca Livermore

[Rebecca LivermoreStudent]

Thanks for all the insights, Greg!

[rosey.goodman@1791.comStudent]

I think I just have to use a better soil combination to get it to grow right. I’m tried a couple of different times and it’s just not working. Time to study up a little more.

[paulaStudent]

Rosey, are you direct sowing seed or starting them indoors and transplanting them outside? I have struggles with soil too but this year was the first year I got them to grow and only one bloom in the last few weeks. They were planted May and another set of plants June. October they budded and I mulched them deep with shreaded leaves to keep their roots warm and tented them with plastic. Zone 6b/7a Our day tempts are 40-50’s and night tempts 30’s. I couldn’t bring myself to pluck the one bloom. lol So, don’t give up hope! p.s. I have 60 yr old privacy trees surrounding my garden that send out fiberious roots to seek? (chemical reaction?) and devourer any nutrients given to my garden plants. This fall we did scatter AzoMITE! and chopped leaves to feed the trees…we’ll see when it all breaks down and available nutrients if the trees will be satisfied. No animal manure produced on the postage stamp size yard, everyone has to be in agreeance but I digress… Oh yeah the squirrel’s decided to plant 8 black walnut trees in my garden so more chemistry! (don’t play well with nightshades: tomatoe, potatoe, peppers, etc…) Yes, my garden is on the WILD side and this year it added a mimosia nursrey…Watch were you WALK! lol

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by paula.

[JoelleStudent]

At our house, the #1 is comfrey!

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Joanne Fletcher

[Jacob ThompsonStudent]

Mullein for selfish reasons, it cures my asthma. To date it has been the only non pharmaceutical to control attacks, keep the weight of my chest and throat clear.

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karen moulton, Julie McDermott, Joelle, Joanne Fletcher

[Lora DietmeyerStudent]

I live in Oregon and we have had several nights of frost, below 25.  The Calendula is still going strong.  In the morning it looks like the frost/freeze got it, but then it warms up and looks fine.  I think it’s a wonderful plant!  First year going it.

[Lisa BatemanStudent]

I started catnip, peppermint,  elderberry,  comfryand lavendar this year. Hoping they survive the winter here in South Carolina Zone 8a. I plan on starting calendula, chamomile and a bunch of other herbs next year.

Lisa Bateman

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Julie McDermott

[Julie McDermottStudent]

Hi. Great question. I like reading everyones responses. Plantain is one of my favorites. also mullein, hops, and echinacea

[Lynn LynamStudent]

I have been gardening for a few years now but recently started to add herbs such as comfrey, calendula, parsley, basil, thyme, oregano, yarrow, and peppermint. I am hoping to add more next year. 🙂

[Kelly ClemmerStudent]

When I started reading more about herbal medicine I knew about a couple of plants.  But then after a couple months I looked over at my neighbor’s yard and saw she had comfrey growing right in front of me, for years.  I went over to talk to her and apparently she has been interested in herbal medicine for years also!  Growing up we always had echinacea, yarrow, chamomile, red raspberry, lemon balm, peppermint, catmint…  I am afraid to grow nettles but I have found it on walks in the wild, along with mallow, pine, teasle and more.  Plantain, calendula, bee balm, black-eyed susan, goldenrod, and lots of mints are either growing or soon to grow in my yard!

[JoelleStudent]

I’m curious, Kelly, how you used catmint. I have some seed for it. I misread it for catnip, but have realized it’s actually catmint.

[Kelly ClemmerStudent]

Oh I meant catnip!  Thanks for asking!  We grew catnip growing up because we had cats and my mom liked growing everything.  They never seemed to like the herb while it grew, but they like it dried!  I don’t know what the difference is between catnip and cat mint. In the HGH Guide to Medicinal Weeds book, both names are listed.  I’ve tried searching the internet but people seem to disagree if catnip and cat mint are the same or different!  I will be tincturing some for it’s calming properties and also keeping it on hand for tea for calming tummy aches.

[Michelle KochStudent]

For me, personally, I absolutely NEED to have my herbal medicine cabinet stocked with gumweed, whether I wildcraft it, or order it from the HGH shop.  It is an absolute necessity for me.  Additionally, I’ve come to know the oak tree as my arboreal grandmother.  And I do love me some lavender, so that is always on my “want-need” list.

[Laura TaylorStudent]

I keep chamomile on hand in large supply because it’s the one herb I know I can get my family to consume. I can get them to ignore the yucky taste of other hebrs if I add chamomile and honey. I use it in my face cream and lip balms too.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Laura Taylor.

[Dr. Patrick JonesHomestead Instructor]

I’m often asked questions like this. The answer is that everybody is different and has different health needs. Things that might be a “must have” for me would be little used by someone else. That said, here’s a good starter list. :0)

Ten Plants That Can Change Your Life

Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Katherine Henriquez, Herb Thyme, Kelly Clemmer

[Herb ThymeStudent]

Thanks Doc for your suggestions and Julie for asking this great question.  I have been wondering this too.  This is a great list to work from.  I have heard that the weeds naturally growing in your yard are also most likely the ones that would benefit you the best.  Perhaps God’s way of providing the medicine at your feet.  I have purslane and lambs quarters that just show up.  And the lambs quarters is in abundance in summer.  My first herb I started growing and tincturing was lemon balm.  I like it a lot.

[jean.humes@yahoo.comStudent]

Hey Doc

I sent a message in this Forum and would like to know your take on it How can we get ahold of you to ask specific questions.   Can we set up a zoom call?  Can we pay for your expertise?

[paulaStudent]

Hi Julie, My two cents….I’m in Zone 6b/7a I had candula in full sun and some in shade, one single bloom a few weeks ago from the shade dwellers. My nasturtiums planted in full sun and shade didn’t really take off until late summer but got enough blooms/stems to make a pint of vinegar. My plan is to use it as a rinse for my hair…not very tastey.  Nasturrtiums do better in soil not ferturlized. Don’t forget to look at the envirorment too. (pets/wildlife, pesticides run off, eletronic whatevers, airport fly over pattern you know all the things)

For me the best plants are the one that grow! lol This year was lambs quarters, garlic, onion chives, walking onions, chard, yarrow, plantain, dandilion, mints, aspargus, comfrey, nasturtium, chicory (wild aster flowers).  Food crops like tomatoes/peppers nothing matured. It was colder in the spring longer and hot dry spell late summer then temps dipped fast. Plants I suggest are Garlic, Onions (all kinds), carrotts, chard, herbs, covercrop (buckwheat), and potatoes! Why these? Well, you can fix a lovely soup, feed the bees and beneficals, and have a delightful herbal experience…garnish, medicinal, and an aromatic sentation!

We have abundance of mice which leads to snakes so, after several encounters I focused on Cut/Bite/Sting kit herbs it helps with bleeding, venom & stings, and poultice. So, first I bought two of the Cut/Bite/Sting kits and then seeds to grow next year. Yarrow, Bugleweed, Shepherd’s Purse, Dandelion Root, Echinacea Root, Marshmallow Root, Plantain, Comfrey Root, Calendula, Lobelia, Cayenne. I’ve never grown Bugleweed, Shepard’s purse, Lobelia and Cayenne a pepper plant I have been unseccessful growing in the past so, I bought some cayenne seasoning in bulk 1 lb organic. (note: comfrey should not be used on punture wounds.)

What do you grab when you have a need? Now learn how to replace it with herbs…Grow, Harvest, Make all the things! (powders/tinchures etc…)

Sorry, if this was TMI (to much information) There is not a single soul in my neighborhood to talk shop about life sustaining topics.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by paula.

[Susan WeingartnerStudent]

Nasturitum is one of my favorites. Both medicinally and to substitute for spinach!

[JoelleStudent]

Paula, I have some walking onions in a pot that some friends gave me. What are they like? Are they a perennial? A green onion or bulb onion? Etc?

[paulaStudent]

Hello Elena, My experience with walking onions Zone 6b/7a…For me they grow greens, bloom then bulblets yearly (perennial) You can eat a few of the greens and leave the rest for the bulb to mature and flower/bulblets to form. And you can eat the bulbs too. No pest issues, they love regular watering and compost/ferterlizer spring time, Really Strong taste. I enjoy growing them and eating them they are beefy and beautiful. I’ve never grew them in pots, now I’ll have to try. I would mulch around the pot or put it in the ground during winter so the bulb wouldn’t freeze and turn to mush…die.

I bought mine 10+ years ago off Ebay and planted them in the ground. They did good in the garden but did better in a sidewalk cut out by the house (2 hours morning sun and 3 hours late after noon) Maybe it is warmer in the winter no sure it gets below zero here.  Unforturnitly they all died when the big batch of Cicadas erupted a few years ago. I think they come every 13? 17? years. Also, my gorgeous unruly self seeding garlic from one end of the garden to the other all died. Those cicadas would craw up on them pump out of their shells leaving a black goo. I purchased more walking onions off Etsy and very happy when they bulbed, fell down (walked) and reseeded themselves. I did plant some in different areas but they seem to like a little shade in afternoons. Next time when the cicadas come I will cover everything and keep on top of corraling them for the birds, squirells, and chipmunk to munch on. Even our little fly catcher birds got in on the feast.

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Stacy Mackey

[JoelleStudent]

I appreciate the info, Paula! Yes, I do have the pots mulched for winter. Hoping to be put them in my herb garden this spring. It sounds like they are quite hardy except when the cicadas comes.

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